DJ Dance Party! Dishwasher Car Wash! Jurassic Park! Mom of 4 Goes Viral for Wild Elf on the Shelf Ideas (Exclusive)

• Jackie Ternes started participating in Elf on the Shelf when her oldest child, now 10, was just 3 years old
• To find new ideas, she scours different social media platforms for inspiration, but also looks at what she has on hand
• Recently, thanks to her husband, Ternes began sharing some of her creations on TikTok, including one set that has since garnered more than 1.3 million views
• In addition to these creations, she says she was also visited by elves Jurassic Parkski resort and even participated in a family game night

Jackie Ternes takes Elf on the Shelf to a whole new level – from DJ dance parties and washing cars in the dishwasher to complex Jurassic Park settings.

The Cheney, Kan., mother of four first started participating in the tradition when her oldest child, now 10, was just 3 years old. To find new ideas, she scours different social media platforms for inspiration, but she also looks at what she has on hand. Most of the time he has an idea in mind and then finds a way to bring it to life. And her children’s reactions make all the effort worthwhile.

“Every morning they wake up and jump out of bed to look around the house and see what the elves have set up,” Ternes, 31, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It’s so cool to hear them say, ‘How did they do that?!’ Or when they find evidence of their work — tape, scraps of paper, glue, etc. — they’re always shocked and say, ‘MOM, LOOK AT THE TAPE!’ ”

“Seeing their reactions and excitement every morning is the definition of Christmas magic,” she adds.

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Jackie Ternes creates the Elf on the Shelf decorations from Jurassic Park.

Jackie Ternes

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Recently, thanks to her husband, Ternes began sharing some of her creations on TikTok, including one set that has since garnered more than 1.3 million views. For this design, she turned the Elf on the Shelf into a DJ, and although she had everything on hand – from glow sticks to marshmallows – she says the hardest part was choosing the right music.

In another creative setup, she showed an elf “working” at a car wash washing dishes. She had everything she needed for this one too – except for the sequin curtain. Since the video of this setup was uploaded to TikTok, it has garnered more than 2.5 million views.

Jackie Ternes creates the Elf on Shelf ski resort.

Jackie Ternes

“Those two setups took 30 minutes, start to finish,” she says. “I spent about 15 minutes printing, cutting, and placing their car wash signs. The little details really make the setups cool, in my opinion.”

“Honestly, people would be surprised at the time it takes to set up and the cost,” she continues. “I spent very little, if anything, because I have almost everything on hand and the setup is super fast. Recording and music take the longest.”

In addition to these creations, she says she was also visited by elves Jurassic Parkski resort and even participated in a family game night.

“These settings are for the enjoyment of my children, not for the glory, so when it all blew up like it did, I was completely stunned,” she says. “The car wash video, I didn’t even want to post because I thought it was too lame.”

“It took me years of collecting discounted items, going the day/week after Christmas to see what was 75-90% off to stock up for next years elf shenanigans,” she adds. “Settings don’t have to make you broke or stressed to be cool!”

Elf on the Shelf dishwashing party.

Jackie Ternes

But since it went viral, Ternes says she loves reading the comments and seeing how others are inspired by her setup.

“So many comments say, ‘You won Elf on the Shelf,’ ‘I want to be this kind of mom,’ and ‘This is the best one yet,'” she says. “99.9% of the comments are nothing but support and awe, and I appreciate that!”

“Some of the most memorable comments were from Eggos and Great Wolf Lodge just because I never imagined that established platforms and companies would ever see these videos, let alone comment on them,” she adds. “The funniest comments are the negative ones — ‘Wow, you work too much,’ ‘Have fun doing something extreme every day,’ ‘I don’t miss them these days,’ ‘This elf is stupid.’ Some people have too much time to be salty and negative, but it made us laugh.”

Jackie Ternes creates an Elf on the Shelf game night.

Jackie Ternes

She continues: “The magic of Christmas is what YOU make of it. That’s the whole point of all these furniture and videos; not fame or likes or shares, it’s about making Christmas magical for children for as long as possible. No matter what your elf no it’s still magic.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education